Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Offense

           WASHINGTON – Corey Whittico, 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal firearms offense stemming from his possession of a loaded Glock firearm equipped with a machine gun conversion device in December 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Whittico pleaded guilty on December 17, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. The Honorable John D. Bates scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 24, 2025.

           According to court papers, on December 19, 2023, MPD officers familiar with Whittico observed him broadcasting live video over Instagram. The video showed Whittico in the front passenger seat of a moving vehicle in Northeast Washington, D.C. During the live broadcast, Whittico brandished a black Glock handgun that was equipped with an aftermarket machine gun conversion device, which has the effect of converting the firearm to fully automatic and is colloquially known as a “switch.”

           As part of the same live broadcast, Whittico reached into the backseat of the vehicle and displayed black and clear plastic bags containing a green leafy substance consistent in appearance with marijuana. Officers located the vehicle in the Clay Terrace neighborhood of Northeast Washington and conducted a traffic stop. Following a search of the vehicle, officers recovered over three pounds of suspected marijuana and two Glock firearms: a Glock 27 equipped with a machinegun conversion device and loaded with 17 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and a Glock 45 loaded with 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Officers had observed Whittico brandishing one of those firearms—the Glock 27—on the Instagram live broadcast just minutes earlier.

           Federal law prohibits Whittico from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. For example, in 2023, Whittico was convicted of robbery in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Whittico was on probation for that offense at the time he possessed the firearm charged in this case.

           The case was initially charged in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In January 2024, a federal grand jury empaneled by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia returned an indictment charging Whittico with the December 2023 offense. 

           Whittico has remained in custody since his December 19, 2023, arrest.

           Whittico faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

           The case was investigated by MPD’s Sixth District Crime Suppression Team and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets Task Force. 

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Kyle R. Mirabelli, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Cloherty and Omeed Assefi.

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